Shemar Moore talks Criminal Minds finale

First, you’ll have an anecdote to make the womenfolk in your life swoon. Second, you’ll walk away feeling charmed — a little sassy, even — and looking for ways to add the word “babygirl” into your everyday speech.

The actor, known for roles on The Young and the Restless and Criminal Minds, has the swagger of a guy who knows he’s stashing a six-pack under his shirt. At 43, he’s a former model, has dated Halle Berry and can easily make small talk with strangers.

But it wasn’t always that way.

“When I was younger I was really shy,” he says. “Once I knew you liked me I would open up, but I was too shy to approach a girl, to say I want to play in the game. But as an actor you have to force yourself to get out there. Now I’m a big old ham.”

Not only was acting the right cure for this ham, it became a passion. Moore, who’s part French Canadian, says playing FBI special agent Derek Morgan on Criminal Minds has been particularly fulfilling this season.

Maybe it’s because, like Moore himself, Derek proved he could overcome a less-than-perfect past. Although now he’s a gun-toting tower of testosterone, Derek was his most vulnerable when he was sexually abused as a child.

‘It gets a little sketchy sometimes, but I’ve never been fearful for my life or safety.’

The early April episode Restoration let him come face to face with his tormentor, have closure and hopefully move forward for good.

“I didn’t just want Derek to be the tough guy who kicks down doors and says ‘babygirl’ all the time. Because as fun as it is to be an action hero, so to speak, and flirt with Garcia, I didn’t just want him to be one-dimensional,” Moore says.

The crime drama’s two-part season finale, ending on May 22, promises to be equally gripping since it will reveal the identity of the serial killer dubbed The Replicator, who has long been stalking members of Derek’s unit, the BAU.

“I’m not going to tell you who it is,” Moore says, “but we just had the table read and I will tell you that it’s a very Hotch-centric episode to start and then it morphs into The Replicator, and then guns blazing.”

Of course, his longtime fans would tune in just to see him pick up a pencil. And some would go to much bolder lengths for a mere point of contact with the actor.

“I’ve been chased through the airport, I’ve been chased on the freeway … I’ve had marriage proposals and I’ve been asked to the prom, which is a little weird because they’re 16 and I’m not,” says Moore, laughing.

“It’s a blessing to be able to do what I do and have people be supportive of what I do … It gets a little sketchy sometimes, but I’ve never been fearful for my life or safety. (But) it’s a crazy world.”

Adding to the madness are his other endeavours. In February, he launched his aptly named Baby Girl clothing line. He’s finally hopped on the social media train, and his frequent shirtless Instagram photos generally go viral within hours.

But even Shemar Moore, the person, sometimes needs a break from Shemar Moore, the brand.

“When they call ‘action,’ you’ve got to flip that switch and turn on. But I also like to flip that switch and turn off and not be that guy,” he says. To unwind, his pursuits are simple: have a glass of wine, walk his dogs and watch SportsCentre.

And if he just so happens to do any of the above shirtless, you can bet someone will just so happen to be there with a camera.